The DATEV interface is a Germany-specific feature that effectively gates an ERP's addressable market in the Mid-Market. DATEV eG, the Nuremberg-based software cooperative founded by tax advisers in 1966, dominates the German Steuerberater segment with more than 40,000 member firms. The overwhelming majority of German Mid-Market finance teams therefore exchange data with their tax adviser via DATEV-format files or, increasingly, direct DATEV-API connections. An ERP without a working DATEV interface either implements one via a partner connector or limits itself to organisations whose tax adviser uses a different platform. This page describes the formats, the native-versus-add-on choice, the GoBD documentation obligations and the ERPs known for strong DATEV support.
DATEV formats: pro, ASCII and XML
The DATEV ecosystem has accumulated several interface formats over decades. The legacy ASCII format (KNE, sometimes called the "OBE" interface) is still widely supported and remains adequate for many monthly vouchers-plus-accounts flows. DATEV pro, the current standard format, extends ASCII with richer metadata and improved master-data handling. XML-based exchange and the modern DATEV-API offer the broadest coverage including digital documents, automated DMS attachments and bidirectional flows. Buyers should verify the format version supported by their ERP and, crucially, by their tax adviser's DATEV installation; mismatches between client and adviser versions are a common source of reconciliation issues at month-end. The DATEV-API additionally requires explicit per-client authorisation, which the tax adviser configures inside the DATEV environment.
Native interface versus partner add-on
German-localised ERPs typically ship a native DATEV interface as a core feature. Sage 100, myfactory, weclapp, Lexware Inventory Management, SelectLine and microtech are recognised for mature native DATEV support covering vouchers, accounts, fixed assets and most master-data flows. International ERPs — SAP S/4HANA, Microsoft Dynamics 365, NetSuite, Oracle Fusion — usually rely on a partner-built DATEV connector available as an extension or add-on. Both models can work, but the questions differ. For native interfaces, ask about the format version, bidirectional capability and configurability per chart of accounts (SKR03, SKR04, custom). For add-on connectors, ask who maintains the connector, what its release cadence is when DATEV publishes format updates, and whether the connector is included in the ERP's support scope or operated as a separate contract.
GoBD and Verfahrensdokumentation
The GoBD (Principles for the ordnungsmässigen Führung and Retention von books, records and documents) require every German business to maintain a Verfahrensdokumentation describing how accounting-relevant data is captured, processed, transferred and archived. The DATEV interface is one of the most prominent integration points to document: the Verfahrensdokumentation should describe which document types are exported, at what frequency, in which format version, who authorises corrections after export, and how the archived export files are retained for the ten-year statutory period. An ERP vendor that supplies a template Verfahrensdokumentation for the DATEV interface saves the customer substantial consulting effort, and several of the German-localised ERPs do so as a matter of course.
Tax-adviser data exchange in practice
In a typical Mid-Market operation, the bookkeeping team exports DATEV-format vouchers from the ERP on a monthly cycle, transfers the file to the tax adviser via DATEV Unternehmen online, DATEV DUO or a comparable secure exchange, and receives back posting confirmations and any reclassifications. With the modern DATEV-API and DATEV Unternehmen online, this cycle can run continuously rather than monthly, which improves the timeliness of management reporting but requires tighter discipline on document quality at source. The interface scope should also cover the OSS VAT special return where applicable and, for clients with payroll in-house, the DATEV Lohn und Gehalt integration. Buyers operating across Germany, Austria and Switzerland should note that DATEV is German-specific: Austrian and Swiss tax advisers typically use BMD or AbaWeb respectively, and a separate interface is required.
Verwandter Glossary entry:ZUGFERD – Definition and Practical Example in the glossary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a DATEV interface legally required?
Not directly. The legal obligation is to maintain GoBD-compliant accounting and to make data available to tax authorities on request. In practice, however, the DATEV interface is the standard mechanism by which most German tax advisers exchange data with their clients, and the GoBD Verfahrensdokumentation is far simpler to write around a documented interface than around ad-hoc CSV exchange. An ERP without a DATEV interface effectively forces the tax adviser to re-enter data manually or build a custom import.
What is the difference between DATEV pro and the DATEV-API?
DATEV pro is a file-based exchange format: the ERP produces a structured file that is uploaded to DATEV. The DATEV-API is a programmatic interface that allows direct, authenticated, bidirectional exchange between the ERP and DATEV without manual file transfer. Both are current; the API is preferred for high-frequency or real-time flows, while pro remains common in monthly cycles.
Which ERPs are recognised for strong native DATEV support?
Sage 100, myfactory, weclapp, Lexware, SelectLine and microtech are the most frequently shortlisted German-localised ERPs with mature native DATEV interfaces. For larger organisations, SAP S/4HANA with the standard DATEV add-on (typically a partner connector) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with a German-localisation partner extension cover the same need.
How do OSS and IOSS interact with the DATEV interface?
OSS and IOSS transactions must be tagged in the ERP by country-of-consumption and exported in a way that supports the consolidated OSS return filed via the German Federal Central Tax Office. Modern DATEV formats accommodate these tags, but the ERP-side configuration must be correct from the outset; retroactive reclassification is laborious. Tax advisers using DATEV typically file the OSS return on the client's behalf provided the data tagging is consistent.
